Farmers and ranchers from all over Alberta gathered in front of the Harvest Centre at Westerner Park in Red Deer on Tuesday morning to protest the NDP government’s proposed Bill 6 Enhanced Protection for Farm and Ranch Workers Act. The bill would bring in new changes to employment standards on farms and ranches across the Province.

Bill 6 making waves in the lives of local farmers

Since the announcement of Bill 6 in November, farmers across the province

Carlieradded,“Weappreciatetheconcernsfarmersandranchershaveraised.Tobeclear,Bill6isnotinanywaygoingtoaffect children doing theirchores,participatingin4-H,orlearningthefamilybusiness.Itdoesnotpreventneighbours,relativesandfriendsfrom helping each otheroutduringbusytimes.Itdoesnotapplytorecreationalactivitiessuchasridinghorsesorhuntingonfarmland.WhatBill6 does is bringAlbertafarmandranchsafetystandardsinlinewithotherprovinces,andensurethatifawage-earningemployeeisinjured or killed onthejob,thatpersonandtheirfamilyhavethesameaccesstofinancialsupportsasemployeesinothersectors.”

Ammeter,whohasbeeninvolvedwiththeAlbertaBarleyCommissionforfiveyearsandchairmanforoneyear,saidthislegislation has been ontheradarofboththisgovernmentandthepasttwoConservativegovernmentsforsometimenow.

“We[astheAlbertaBarleyCommission]supportedtheinclusionofagricultureintheOHSlegislationonlytotheextentthatfatalities and serious incidentsshouldbeinvestigated,”saidAmmeter.“Probablyclosetoayearagowestartedthisprocessandthat’swhat we were comfortable withandtheothercomponentsofBill6thatwasnotsomethingweendorsed.”